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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia committed to cooperation with EU, UN

Belgrade, 25 November 2008

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic today met with his Portuguese counterpart Luis Amado and stated that it is of no legal importance that the provisional Kosovo institutions have not accepted the plan for the reconfiguration of the civilian mission in the province.

Author: Fonet

At a press conference following the meeting with Amado, Jeremic said that technical consultations regarding the next UN Security Council session are underway, at which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is to present the report on the reconfiguration of the civilian mission in Kosovo-Metohija.

Jeremic added it is not known whether the session will be held this week, but it is possible that it will be.

According to him, the Secretary General’s report supposedly comprises an agreement between Serbia and the UN on the six items concerning the reconfiguration of the UNMIK mission.

He also noted that the four items proposed by provisional institutions of the self-government in Pristina will not be included in the report, but in the annex which states why Kosovo Albanians have rejected the plan.

Their rejection will not have any legally binding effect, said Jeremic.

EU membership is Serbia’s top priority and Portugal has been a strong supporter of Serbia’s EU integration, willing to help in every way, said the Minister.

He said that the two countries are also cooperating over the process of removing visa restrictions for Serbian citizens and Portugal supports Serbia’s choice to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty by diplomatic and legal means as the only way to safeguard peace and stability.

He said that he spoke with Amado about bilateral economic, military and cultural cooperation and it was agreed that the bilateral dialogue and political consultations will be intensified.

We have a year long close political dialogue ahead of us. The priority is to accelerate Serbia’s EU integration and to intensify economic cooperation between Portugal and Serbia, stressed the Foreign Minister.

Amado stressed that compromise on the EU’s mission in Kosovo is the founding stone for peace and stability in the region and shows Serbia’s strong determination to cooperate with the EU and UN.

According to Amado, in Portugal’s opinion, the EU must validate Belgrade’s constructive efforts regarding the deployment of EULEX when it decides further steps in Serbia’s EU accession process.

He said that Portugal has consistently supported the unblocking of the transitional trade agreement between Serbia and the EU, adding that he hopes that EU foreign ministers will consider all the possibilities for accelerating Serbia’s accession process at their meeting in December.

He stressed that the EU must keep in mind the responsible role played by the Serbian government and its constructive stance concerning the EULEX issue.

Amado said that the EU must not be indifferent to the stance taken by the Serbian government, adding that Portugal will continue to support Serbia within the EU.

The Portuguese Foreign Minister will talk today with Serbian President Boris Tadic and parliament speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic.